Stone Angels
by November Rain 19
Summary: This is my first TK/Kari fic. TK gets his license and he and Kari go out to celebrate.


Author's Notes: Hey, look at that. I finally wrote a story that had a title with more than one word in it. Anyway. This was one of those stories where the ending came to me before the beginning, so I kind of had to work backwards. I'm not sure what inspired this fic. The idea for the story just came to me one day while I was out for a walk. I do know that I was listening to the City Of Angels movie soundtrack as I wrote it though. 

Oh, and just for your information, Matt, Tai and Mimi are 19 and Takeru and Kari are 16. 

Dedication: This is for the people who have me on Author Alert. The fact that you want to be notified when I write a story, means a great deal to me. Thank you.   


Stone Angels   
By Melissa 

  
  


Kari Kamiya stood in front of the mirror in the hallway of her house. She checked her reflection for a moment. Takeru would be there soon to pick her up. Takeru had just recently got his license and his mom and given him her old car, since she had bought a new one. They were going out to celebrate. Takeru and Kari were best friends, and they did everything together. Kari, however, felt more for him than just friendship. Kari took one last look in the mirror and smiled sadly, part of her wishing that this was a real date that she was going on. 

"Why did you have to go and fall in love with your best friend?" she asked her reflection. 

Her reflection didn't offer up any reply. 

"Figures. You have just as many answers as I do." Kari took one last look in the mirror and continued to get ready.   
  


Takeru Takaishi grabbed his keys off the table and was heading out the door when his mother called to him. 

"You be careful now. It's supposed to rain tonight." 

Takeru rolled his eyes slightly. "I know, Mom." he called back. 'Especially, when the most important thing in the world to me will be along for the ride,' he added to himself mentally. 

Takeru, through some divine plan, had also fallen in love with Kari. It was obvious to everyone in their lives that those two should be together. Everyone, save Kari and Takeru. The old adage that 'love is blind,' had more than one meaning in this case. 

"OK, I'm going. We'll be back no later than 11pm," he said to his mom, who was down the hallway. 

"OK, hun. Have a good time." 

Takeru raced out the door and to his car. As he paused to unlock it, he looked at himself in the reflection of the window. "Of all the girls you had to fall for, you had to go and pick your best friend," he said to his reflection while shaking his head. 

He opened the door and climbed in. He turned the key in the ignition and drove off to the Kamiya's apartment.   
  


After picking Kari up, they went out to dinner and then to a movie. By the time it had ended it was about quarter after ten. While in the movie, it had started to rain very hard. Standing at the entrance of the theater, the two digidestined stared out at the storm. 

"Do you want me to go get the car and come back to pick you up?" Takeru asked. 

"It's just rain. It's not like I'm going to melt or something." 

Takeru grinned. "Really? That's not what I heard," he said playfully. In response, Kari punched him in the arm, smiling as she did so. 

Takeru took off his jacket and held it above both of their heads. "Ready?" 

"As ready as I'll ever be. Let's dodge some rain drops," Kari replied. 

The two teenagers ran out of the theater and through the rain to Takeru's car. He unlocked it and they climbed in. Takeru turned the car on and they drove away. After a few moments of silence, Kari spoke. 

"So," Kari began. "You just recently turned 16, and you just got your license. What are you going to do next?" she asked, mocking those disneyworld commercials. 

'Hold the child of light in my arms and never let her go,' Takeru thought to himself. Out loud, he said "I'm not too sure. I'll have to give it some thought." 

As they drove, Takeru stole sidelong glances at Kari when he was sure she wasn't looking. Kari did the same thing to Takeru. 

'Why can't I just tell her how I feel?' he thought to himself. 

'Why can't I tell him how I really feel?' she thought to herself. 

They drove in silence for awhile, each warring with themselves over their feelings. They eventually came to a stop light, one that had a very long delay. 

While waiting for it to change, Takeru came to a decision. 'I can't do this anymore. I have to be honest with her. I'm through with hiding. And I'm never going to know if she feels the same way unless I say something.' 

Takeru turned to his companion. "Kari?" 

"Yes, Takeru?" 

"There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about for quiet awhile. I just never knew how to bring it up," he said. He paused a moment to collect his thoughts. "Kari, I......," Takeru was interrupted by the sound of a blaring car horn. The light had just turned green. 

Takeru turned his attention back to the road, a little flustered. He could feel Kari staring at him. 

"What is it that you wanted to tell me?" she asked. 

"Nothing. It's not important," Takeru said miserably. 

As he made his way into the intersection, a drunk driver was also making his way towards them. It was bad enough that the driver was under the influence, but the pouring rain didn't help at all either. The driver sped into the intersection, oblivious to the fact that he had a red light. His car slammed into Kari's side of the car. 

Even though the events took no more than a couple of seconds, it seemed to last an eternity to Kari and Takeru. The drunk driver, when he hit Takeru's car, pushed it into the left hand side of the road, into oncoming traffic. Another driver entering the intersection, slammed head on into the front of the car. The drunk driver, oblivious to what was really going on, didn't understand why his car wasn't moving forward. He threw it into reverse and then put it in drive and hit Takeru's car again, and pushed it off the road and into a telephone pole, where it finally came to rest. 

When Takeru opened his eyes, he was greeted by a world of pain. His vision was blurry. When he wiped at his eyes, his hand came away covered with blood. The steering wheel had been pushed all the way up and was pinned against his chest. 

"What happened....?" He asked himself, shaking his head. "Kari?" he asked as he turned to look at his friend. 

What he saw almost made him scream. Kari was still next to him, but covered in blood. Bruises, cuts and scrapes were all over her. Her head was sporting a particularly nasty cut. Her legs were contorted at an odd angle, most certainly broken, and trapped under the dash board. 

"Kari!!! Kari, speak to me!!" Takeru yelled as he tried to free himself. No matter how he struggled though, he could not get loose. 

Using all his strength, he managed to move himself over enough to where he could reach Kari. Gently, he brushed her cheek. 

Responding to his touch, she slowly opened her eyes. "Takeru? What happened?" she asked weakly. 

"We were in an accident. Someone hit us, maybe even several someones, I'm not too sure. We have to get out of here. Can you move?" 

Kari tried, but it was no use. "I'm stuck." 

"Yeah, me too. How about your door, can you open it?" 

Kari tried, but the door had been smashed in by the impact with the drunken driver. She shook her head sadly. Takeru couldn't open his door either because of the telephone pole. 

Running out of options, Takeru did the only thing he could think of. He yelled. 

"Help!! Please, somebody help us!!" 

A bystander answered his hails. "Hey!! Are you all right in there?" 

"We're trapped! And we need an ambulance!!" Takeru called back. 

"Don't worry, the fire department will be hear soon. Just hang on." 

'That's easy for you to say,' Takeru and Kari each thought to themselves. 

Suddenly, leaking fluids from the damaged cars caught fire because of sparks from damaged wires. The car began to burn. 

Kari looked thoughtful for a second. "Do you smell something burning?" she asked. 

"Yeah, now that you mention it, I do," Takeru replied. As he did so he looked out the smashed windshield and saw the front of the car on fire. 

A look of horror dawned on both their faces. Takeru and Kari began struggling even more to try and free themselves, screaming all the while. The bystanders were trying to get them out as well. The car would not yield to their efforts though. 

As smoke began to build up in the cabin, Kari began to cough violently. She appeared to be losing the ability to stay awake. 

Takeru noticed this. "No. Kari, listen to me. You have to stay awake!! Don't close your eyes!!" 

"I'll only close them for a minute. I'm so tired........" she said as she closed her eyes. 

"Kari? Kari!!" Takeru yelled as he shook his friend. She didn't wake up though. Smoke inhalation and loss of blood had caused her to lose consciousness. 

Takeru struggled more and more to try and free himself, but the steering wheel would just not budge. Even if it had, he was pretty sure that his legs were also caught under the dash board. Soon the smoke overwhelmed him too. He couldn't stay awake any longer. 

In the distance, he thought he heard sirens, but he couldn't be sure. Holding on to Kari's hand, he slipped into blessed oblivion.   
  


When Takeru opened his eyes, he was blinded by an intense white light. He had to blink several times for his eyes to finally adjust to it. As he did so, memories came flooding back to him. 'They were at a stop light.........it was raining............ impact........crash..........pain..........darkness.' 

Takeru tried to look around, but his movements were greatly restricted. When he saw why, his heart leapt into his throat. His body was almost completely covered with bandages. And on the few patches of skin he could see, they were either lacerated or severely burned. Suddenly, more memories came back. 'Smoke.......fire.......Kari trapped under the dash board.......Himself trapped by the steering wheel..........' 

As he was reliving his memories, a doctor came into the room. He picked up a chart that was at the end of Takeru's bed. The doctor then came around the side to check the several monitors that were attached to Takeru in some way, shape or form. Takeru tried to say something, but his speech was restricted by something in his throat. Not wanting the doctor to leave, Takeru reached out and grabbed the doctor's arm. 

The doctor let out a yelp of surprise. It took him a moment to compose himself. After, he looked at Takeru with sad eyes. 

"Mr. Takaishi, my name is Dr. Kamasoto. You have a tube down your throat that is helping you to breathe. If you want, I will remove it, and then you can speak." 

Takeru nodded. 

"OK, take a deep breath. When I count to three I need you to blow out as hard as you can. Ready? One.....Two.....Three!!" 

Takeru blew out the breath he was holding and the doctor pulled out the tube. The doctor then gave Takeru an oxygen mask to help him with the coughing fit that followed. 

When the coughing slowed, Takeru began talking frantically. "Where am I?? Where's Kari?! Is she all right??" 

The doctor interrupted. "Please, Mr. Takaishi, calm down. I need to talk to you about your condition first. Then I will answer all of your questions." 

Something in the doctor's tone of voice made Takeru wary. He obediently stayed quiet. 

"As you know, you and Miss Kamiya were involved in a very serious accident. A drunk driver ran a red light and struck your car. This pushed your car into the oncoming lane of traffic, where your car was struck again. The drunk driver, with his foot still on the gas pedal, continued to push your car until it struck a telephone poll. Due to the multiple impacts on your car, you and Miss Kamiya became trapped. According to witnesses, you were trying to free yourself and your friend when sparks from damaged wires set your car on fire. It wasn't long until you both lost consciousness, due to your injuries and to smoke inhalation." 

"That explains the burns," Takeru said to himself. 

"The fire department had to use the jaws of life to get you two out of the car, after extinguishing the fire. You were transported here with massive injuries to your body. At one point, your heart stopped, but we were able to revive you with CPR." 

The doctor paused for a moment, obviously trying to prepare himself for what he had to say next. 

"I'm afraid that there is no easy way to tell you this, so I'm going to come right out and say it. The damage from the car accident as well as the burns from the fire, are proving to be too much for your body to handle. Perhaps if we had gotten to you sooner, we might have been able to do more. You won't live through the night," the doctor said sadly. 

All Takeru could do was stare at the doctor. 

"To be honest, we weren't expecting you to regain consciousness. That is why I was so surprised when you grabbed my arm." 

Takeru looked down at his battered body. He didn't look at the doctor when he spoke. "How long do I have?" 

"A few hours, maybe less." 

Takeru lifted his gaze and met the doctor's stare. "Where's Kari?" 

The doctor walked over to the curtain that was dividing the room and proceeded to pull it back. What Takeru saw made his heart stop. Kari was lying in the bed next to his. She looked worse than he did. She was also covered mostly by gauze and bandages, most of which were soaked with blood. One bandage covered her left eye and the top of her head. 

"Oh God......Kari.......," Takeru whispered. He paused a moment before speaking again. "How is she?" he asked, even though he all ready knew the answer. 

The doctor wiped his eyes. "I'm afraid that Miss Kamiya.......will not survive the night either. She's unconscious right now, and will probably never open her eyes again." 

Takeru could do nothing but stare at his love. Being told that he was dying was nothing compared to knowing that Kari would share the same fate. 

"Your brother and Miss Kamiya's brother have been called. They will both be here soon." 

Takeru nodded absently. The doctor quietly left them alone. 

Takeru could barely feel the tears streaming down his face. He knew that there was one last thing he had to do before he left this life. Slowly, painfully, he turned on his side to face Kari. 

"Kari? I don't know if you can hear me or not, but there is something that I have to tell you. It was what I started to say when we were at the stop light. I love you, Hikari Kamiya. I can't remember a time when I didn't. It's a love that has done nothing but grow since the instant I met you. You are my soul mate and my best friend, and I was lucky enough to find you in this lifetime. You are the first thing I think about when I wake up each day, and the last thing I think about before I fall asleep each night. The only thing I regret about my life is not telling you this sooner. I'll never know if you felt the same way about me. Perhaps that is an appropriate punishment, since you are dying because of me. I should have been paying more attention. Hell, we shouldn't even have gone out because of the weather. It should have been just me. I'm....I'm sorry.....," Takeru had to stop as he broke down into tears. 

Exhausted, Takeru rolled on his back. He reached his arms all the way out to the sides. He was expecting a lot pain when he moved, but surprisingly there was none. Suddenly very tired, he yawned and closed his eyes. He fell asleep that way, as if waiting for the angel of death with open arms.   
  


Takeru was not sure how long he was asleep. He opened his eyes to only be blinded again by the intense white lights of the hospital. He was very stiff and tried to stretch, at least as much as his bandages would allow him. When he tried to move his left arm, he realized that something was holding onto it. 

He looked to his left and saw Kari, lying on her side with her hand outstretched, holding on to his. She blinked at him, with the one eye that was visible. 

Takeru just stared, in complete shock. It wasn't long before a fresh wave of tears came flooding back. He opened his mouth to speak, but Kari cut him off. 

"I love you too, Takeru Takaishi." 

Takeru's mouth dropped open in complete bewilderment. "You.....You heard me??" 

"Every word. And I want you to listen carefully now to what I have to say." 

Takeru nodded, not saying anything. 

"I love you. I love you more than I ever thought it was possible to love one person. To find someone who is both your best friend and your true love is one of the rarest things in the world. And I'm sorry too that it took us so long to tell each other how we felt. I'm eternally grateful that we found each other, TK," Kari said, slipping back to his childhood nickname. "Second of all, this is not your fault, so I don't want you thinking that it is. Do you understand? It's just our time to leave this life. Granted, if I had a choice, I wouldn't have picked now, or this way to go." 

The child of hope nodded again, trying to fight the sadness that was consuming him. 

A tear traced it's way down Kari's cheek as she squeezed Takeru's hand tighter. "I'm glad you're hear with me," she whispered. 

"Me too," Takeru whispered right back. 

Kari's breathing started getting shallower, and her eyelids were so heavy. Her time was drawing to a close. 

Takeru knew her time was short, but he still didn't want death to take her. 

"Please, don't leave me." 

"I'll never leave you, my love," Kari said quietly. "And we will see each other again soon enough." Just as she closed her eyes, she whispered "I love you TK." 

"I love you Kari," Takeru said through his tears. He listened to her heart monitor as the beeping got slower and slower. Soon, it stopped completely. 

Takeru continued to hold onto Kari's hand. "I will see you soon, my love," he said through his tears.   
  


Matt drove through the streets at a maddening speed. He tried to stay with in the traffic laws, but that was proving very difficult. Things like that just didn't seem to matter anymore, after the phone call he had received earlier. The call had been from Odaiba hospital. Takeru and Kari had been involved in an car accident. From what the policeman had told him, a drunk driver ran a red light and struck Takeru's car. And things just got worse after that. 

Matt pulled into a parking spot at the hospital and jumped out of car, and broke into a run. He burst through the hospital door and made a bee line for the desk. 

"My name is Yamato Ishida. My brother is Takeru Takaishi. Please tell me where I can find him?" Matt asked the receptionist frantically. 

The receptionist pointed down the hall. "Do you see that doctor? He will take you to your brother," the receptionist replied. 

Matt nodded in thanks and went to see the doctor. As he approached, the doctor turned to greet him. 

"Ah, you must be Takeru's brother. My name is Dr. Kamasoto." 

"How did you know who I was?" Matt asked, slightly puzzled. 

"You and Takeru look a lot a like." 

An awkward moment of silence passed. Finally, Matt spoke. "Please, where is my brother? I need to see him." 

"Before you do, there's something that you should know." 

Matt waited silently for the doctor to continue. 

"I'm afraid that your brother will not survive. The same is true for Miss Kamiya. Their injuries are just too numerous and serious." 

Matt felt as if he had just been punched in the stomach. He couldn't breathe. 

"Wha....What? Isn't there anything you can do??" 

"I am so sorry, but there is nothing else we can do. We exhausted all possibilities. Unfortunately, sometimes, no matter what we do, the people we love are still taken away from us, " the doctor said apologetically. "They are right through that door, if you want to see them." The doctor laid a hand on Matt's shoulder, and then left. 

Matt staggered to the door and peered through the window. Through it he saw Takeru and Kari holding hands. A moment later he saw Takeru release his hold as he brought his hands up to his face and cried. Kari didn't move at all. Matt felt a tear slip away, as he realized that Kari was no longer with them. 

Matt heard the sound of footsteps pounding the hallway. He turned just in time to see Tai barreling at him at break neck speed. When Tai got close enough, Matt reached out and grabbed a hold of his friend to help him stop his momentum. 

"Thanks man," Tai said, completely out of breath. "Are they in there?" 

"Yeah, I was just about to go in. Um, Tai? I think there's something you should know....." Matt said, avoiding Tai's eyes. 

A look of horror dawned on Tai's face. "Oh no.......," he said as he burst through the doors. Matt followed immediately behind. 

Tai went over to his sister's bedside. He took her hand in his and gently stroked her cheek. They were both still warm, but there was no response. 

Tears streamed down Tai's face. He let a choked sob, as he fell to his knees onto the floor. 

Matt went over and closed the curtain, to give his friend some privacy to grieve. 

Matt turned his attention back to his little brother, who was looking at him with glassy eyes. 

"I tried to keep her here, at least until Tai showed up, but I couldn't..........," Takeru said, his voice breaking with choked emotion. 

Matt sat on the bed and took just held Takeru in his arms while he cried. "Shhhh......it's OK now. She's not in anymore pain," Matt said gently. 

"I don't understand how my heart can go on beating, while hers has stopped," Takeru said. 'At least, not for much longer anyway,' he added silently to himself. 

Matt just wrapped him arms tighter around Takeru. They stayed that way for awhile. 

Takeru eventually broke the embrace and leaned back against his pillows. He looked so tired. Matt brushed the hair of his brother's eyes. Takeru's eyelids started to close. 

Matt started to panic. "Oh no. C'mon TK, stay with me." 

"You know I would, if I had a choice. I can't stay here any longer though." 

Matt swallowed hard, fighting the tears that threatened to break. "But you're strong. You were always the strong one. You have to fight this." 

Takeru gazed at his brother. "Oh Matt, the fight with death is one that no one can win. It's my time to go. Please don't be mad. At least I got to see you, one last time." 

"I could never be mad at you," Matt said. "TK......I.....," Matt didn't finish his sentence though, as Takeru placed a finger to his lips. 

"I know, Matt. I love you too." 

Takeru's stare moved to somewhere over his brother's shoulder and his breathing got shallower. 

Matt gripped his brother's hand tightly. "TK? TK, are you still with me?" Matt asked. Takeru didn't respond to him though. Deep down, Matt knew that his little brother could no longer hear him. 

Takeru's eyes were transfixed on some point beyond Matt. When he spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper. 

"Kari......I'm coming Kari..........." 

Matt watched Takeru's chest rise and fall, each time slower than the last. Takeru sucked in a sharp breath, and then slowly released it, for the final time. His chest rose no more. 

Matt couldn't contain his tears anymore. Gently, he reached over and closed Takeru's eyes. 

"I love you, little brother, Matt whispered. 

Just then Mimi came walking through the door. She saw Matt, with his head resting on his arm, still holding Takeru's hand. She walked over behind him and wrapped her arms around him. 

"He's gone," Matt said, almost too quietly to be heard. 

"I know, Matt, I know," Mimi said through her tears. 

The emotional walls that Matt had spent a lifetime building suddenly came crashing down. For the first time in his life, Matt really cried. Not just the tears that fell from his eyes, but also tears that came from the very depths of his soul.   
  


Five days later, all the digidestined, old and new, stood in a graveyard. The two caskets that held Takeru and Kari had just been put into the ground and covered over. They had been buried next to each other, because that's where they belonged. Everyone came to say good-bye, one last time. 

After they had died, Matt went throughout town looking for a sculptor. When he had located the best, Matt commissioned the sculptor to make a pair of headstones. On the top of one was an angel that looked like Takeru, and had the crest of hope engraved on it's chest. On the other was a angel that looked like Kari, engraved with the crest of light. Each angel had an arm outstretched towards the other, hands just barely touching. It was the only place where the two head stones touched each other. 

Matt's inspiration was when he had looked though the doors in the hospital and saw Takeru and Kari holding hands for the last time. Matt had made a quick sketch from memory and gave it to the sculptor. And the sculptor had recreated it perfectly in stone. Also engraved on stones, instead of an epitaph, there was a song. 

Everyone stood around, silently reading it to themselves. 

On Takeru's headstone was the first part of the song. 

Fly, fly little wing   
Fly beyond imagining   
The softess cloud, the whitest dove   
Upon the wind of heaven's love   
Past the planets and the stars   
Leave this lonely world of ours   
Escape the sorrow and the pain   
And fly again 

Fly, fly precious one   
Your endless journey has begun   
Take your gentle happiness   
Far too beautiful for this   
Cross over to the other shore   
There is peace forever more   
But hold this memory bittersweet   
Until we meet   


And on Kari's was the second half. 

Fly, fly do not fear   
Don't waste a breath, don't shed a tear   
Your heart is pure, your soul is free   
Be on your way, don't wait for me   
Above the universe you'll climb   
On beyond the hands of time   
The moon will rise, the sun will set   
But I won't forget 

Fly, fly little wing   
Fly where only angels sing   
Fly away, the time is right   
Go now, find the light - Celine Dion, "Fly"   
  


No one said anything. There wasn't a need for words right now. They all felt and thought the same things. 

Taking a step forward, Matt held two white roses. He placed one on each of the graves. 

"Two lights have gone out in my soul that can never shine again," Matt said, his voice cracking slightly. Everyone around him echoed the sentiment. 

Somewhere, far away, two real angels were holding hands. Just as the stone angels were.   


The End. 

More Author's Notes: This was my first TK/Kari. How did I do? Please let me know. I do so love to hear from you guys. Until next time.   



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